'Please don't damage our beautiful memories': Kim Woo-bin flooded with mixed reactions from BTS fans after buying group’s former building

It’s probably just another building to others but for some fans it meant more.

South Korean actor Kim Woo-bin recently bought the building that housed the former headquarters of Hybe (formerly known as Big Hit Entertainment), the company that manages popular K-pop boy band BTS.

The 34-year-old reportedly acquired it for 13.7 billion won (S$13.4 million).

According to media reports, Big Hit Entertainment used the building, located in Nonhyeon-dong in the Gangnam-gu neighbourhood, since 2007 before expanding and moving to another in 2011. They moved to their current headquarters in Yongsan and rebranded to Hybe in 2020.

Though BTS debuted in 2013, Hybe CEO Bang Si-hyuk revealed in an interview with Time Magazine that he started forming the group in 2010, starting with members RM, Suga and J-Hope. Jin, Jimin, V and Jungkook joined later on.

Since the news of Woo-bin’s acquisition broke, some BTS fans, known as Army, have flooded the comments section of his Instagram posts expressing their sadness and displeasure.

“Why would you buy such an important building?” commented one fan.

“Bangtan building is our place and this place holds a lot of memories of BTS and Army. Please don't damage our beautiful memories,” said another, adding crying emojis.

BTS is short for Bangtan Sonyeondan.

“Why are other Armys mad over a simple request? We are not harassing him, just asking him to not erase those messages or to paint over it. That place literally holds so many memories of BTS and Armys for years and suddenly if someone renovates it or removes everything, it will hurt,” a comment read.

Photos of the building on the internet show it to be covered with messages, presumably from the group's fans. 

Other fans disagreed with their actions.

One wrote in the comments: “I swear, BTS fans who are coming at him for buying a building are so cringe. These people give BTS a bad name. Please grow the hell up. It’s just a building.”

“Ranting about the building as if you can go there... Let him do what he wants to do, it's already his, and you don't have the right to dictate as if you gave a contribution to him,” remarked another.

“Dear Armys, can you stop? This was a business. If it had been important to Hybe or Big Hit, they would have bought the building or not put it up for sale. This was a business, what you do with your property is your decision. If many Armys hate him for that, we will be very ashamed,” a netizen said.

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syarifahsn@asiaone.com

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